To Notice Our Love That Festered Before Us
by sctwilightvampwolfgal
Summary: Rose loved the idea of soulmates despite her parents not being soulmates, and when the realization dawns that her best friend is her soulmate, she couldn't be happier. *Soulmate Taste AU.*


Rose loved the idea of soulmates, the concept that someone will more than likely come to love everything about you, and try to be there to support you.

She adored her family too, thought that her parents were a sweet case of love confirmed though neither were soulmates; her mother's soulmate had died really young before she could meet him, and her father was one of the rare few that never felt a soulmate's meals on his tongue.

Rose knew this, of course; her parents had never lied to her about it, but she still adored watching them.

Her mother constantly worried though if she had time to over whether her husband's soulmate just wasn't born yet; she could have died as a baby or wasn't born yet or he didn't have one, but worrying never tended to still sometimes.

Rose liked the idea of soulmates regardless, the fact that the person will, given that you meet them, always be there to support you; most soulmates didn't end up being jerks anyway.

She still worried over whoever got Chloe as a soulmate, not that she'd say anything about it; the idea of speaking up and admitting that concern felt almost physically painful, it would be mean, and Rose hated the idea of deliberately hurting anyone with her words.

Sometimes she could fumble and say the wrong thing and end up in an argument, but she preferred to avoid fighting if she could.

Today was a beautiful day for eating lunch in the park with your best friend; sunlight shimmered and fell around them as Rose snuggled closer to Juleka's side though her mind grew carried away as she watched couples and friends or even families enjoy lovely picnics together before the taste on her tongue brought a question to mind: was her soulmate here right now?  
"Hey, can you see if anyone is eating -" Rose had been craning her neck to tell if anyone was eating the type of sandwich that she could taste on her tongue with no real success before she turned to face her best friend in the whole world, and her eyes widened.

Juleka was eating a creamy sandwich that felt absolutely perfect on Rose's tongue, perhaps it felt perfect because it was what her soulmate was eating or may be it was seeing Juleka in this new light.

Rose snuggled closer, "Juleka, is that...?" She had no idea whatever she was going to finish the sentence with, what I taste on my tongue, a sandwich, or something else that she hadn't quite found the words for yet.

"Rose?" Juleka smiled though and snuggled closer, offering her a bit of her sandwich, and leaning forward to relax by her friend's side despite the nerves that suddenly assaulted Rose; what if she was wrong?  
She tentatively took the small piece into her hand and ate it, practically melting at the familiar taste that she'd just felt, if she became goo by Juleka's side, she knew that the other woman would help put her back together.

Rose nuzzled closer, "Juleka, did you know that we're soulmates?" It was a nervous question yet felt absolutely right and perfect on Rose's tongue.

"Yeah, I knew, sorry. I didn't know how to bring it up to you, and you kept saying 'he,' and I was a little worried that you wouldn't be able to change it to 'she.'" Juleka snuggled against her side, "It was stupid of me, sorry."

"No, I said 'he,' because that's what I'm used to from my parents, Juleka. I should have said 'she' once, because I do like girls just as much." Rose blushed, realizing that she was admitting something that she hadn't felt the pressing need to tell anyone before.

Juleka smiled anyway and leaned down to kiss her, "I hope that you can change 'girls' to just this girl."

"I can, and I will." Rose breathed, looking beyond elated, feeling joy course through her veins; she'd found her soulmate, and it was her best friend! She couldn't be happier.

Kissing Juleka felt a lot like coming home and wild excitement, anticipation towards their future, and what they were, but it tasted like the black cherry lip gloss that Juleka wore on her lips, because it looked dark, and she kind of liked it. It tasted like chocolate in a way, sweet yet so much more, or may be it wasn't chocolate, just something so Juleka that reminded Rose of chocolate.

She could taste her own strawberry lip gloss now as her friend kissed her, reflected back on to her, and she could taste something that reminded her of sunshine, and she realized belatedly that it was her own unique taste.

Chocolatey sunshine: Rose decided that she'd call them later or rather their first kiss.

She wasn't worried over whether it was too mushy or too gooey a name to describe her first kiss with her soulmate, because this was her soulmate that she was kissing, the woman that she loved and trusted with so much especially after everything, especially after they'd become the best of friends all those years ago.

Rose never wanted their first kiss to end, but when it did, she pressed closer, looking for that perfect mix of chocolatey sunshine and black cherry, strawberry on her lips, the perfect taste to curl her toes and make her feel like she was melting.

Juleka's lips were both soft like a kitten's paw and firm as they pressed back against her, as Rose toppled over to fall on their picnic blanket, as she giggled against Juleka's lips that felt like perfection, itself, against her as she'd easily decided.

She never wanted to stop this beautiful moment between the two of them, the joy that clung like sunshine on their skin, as she leaned against Juleka when she pulled back, still fighting against the remaining giggles that wanted to burst through the dam of her throat.

Rose wanted to scream how much she loved her best friend, how perfect this all felt, but she couldn't find the words and didn't care if she stumbled through anything else, because Juleka would be there to hold her up and help her pull through like she always had.

She loved her best friend more than she ever knew she could.


End file.
